Eden Race Drive travelled to Knockhill in Scotland at the weekend (August 9-11), securing two more podium finishes as Ollie White doubled up in Pro-Am.
The team and drivers Will Martin, Harry Foster, Will Aspin, and Ollie had a test day on Wednesday, before two further practice sessions on Friday, where just 0.8s covered the top 20 cars. Those margins were even closer in qualifying, where Will Martin was just 0.1s from pole, third quickest, and Harry sixth in Pro, despite being 0.029s behind.
In Pro-Am, there was disappointment for Will Aspin, who lost a lap time due to exceeding track limits, which would have left him tenth overall, while Ollie finished fourth fastest.
The opening race of the weekend, held on Sunday morning, had drama at the start, as Will Martin came together with another driver but was able to continue in fourth, while Harry locked his brakes and damaged his radiator, causing his retirement. Behind, Ollie did well to avoid strife on the tight and undulating 1.2-mile circuit, taking third place at the flag, while sadly Will Aspin was disqualified post-race, being judged to be at fault for contact with other cars.
In race two, Will Martin had a good start, making up places after serving a grid penalty for an incident earlier on, but while passing a car at turn three, took contact and was sent into the barriers. He was able to get the car restarted, but lost a lap on the field, leaving him with no chance to gain any further places.
After a Safety Car, Harry gained places, finishing ninth, while Ollie claimed another Pro-Am podium with a good drive to second place. Will Aspin also moved forward, taking sixth at the flag, having made a good pass into the hairpin.
With two more trophies now taking the team’s 2024 tally to an impressive 17, the focus quickly switches to the next two races of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB season, which take place at Donington Park over August 24/25.
Will Martin – Car #10 (Pro)
G1 – 3, R1 – 7
G2 – 9, R2 – 10
Championship: 1 (70 points)
“It’s not been the point score we wanted this weekend, but we know we’re not slow. In qualifying we showed decent pace, and it was very close between everyone. We’ve had a bit of bad luck this weekend, and sometimes that’s how racing goes. I’m sure at Donington Park we will come back stronger, and we’ll keep fighting.”
Harry Foster – Car #16 (Pro)
G1 – 6, R1 – DNF
G2 – 11, R2 – 9
Championship: 8 (19 Points)
“In race one, on lap one, I misjudged my braking point into the final corner, went the wrong way and unfortunately, I had contact with another car which broke my radiator, so I was out of the race. I started race two in P11 and there wasn’t a huge amount I think we could have done, due to the nature of the circuit, but I kept my nose clean and stayed away from track limits, which seemed to be an issue for race one, and got a few people on track to finish P9 in class. The pace is really good, both in the races and in qualifying – which has been really important this year.”
Will Aspin – Car #24 (Pro-Am)
G1 – 8, R1 – DSQ
G2 – 9, R2 – 6
Championship: 8 (19 points)
“After qualifying we should have been 10th but were 19th, and if we had been 10th, it would have been okay as we’d have been in the fight. In race two I had a good pass into the hairpin, going on the brakes, and that helped build up my confidence, so that’s one of the positives to take from the weekend.
“It will be nice to go to Donington Park as it’s a bigger track, it flows well, and there are overtaking opportunities. We know the car is fast, so hats off to the Eden Race Drive team as they always do a good job. We know I am naturally fast and we have good race pace, so we just need to put it together in qualifying.”
Oliver White – Car #94 (Pro-Am)
G1 – 4, R1 – 3
G2 – 3, R2 – 2
Championship: 4 (53 points)
“Qualifying wasn’t great, and I finished 14th overall, which was disappointing. I was just too cautious with the new track limit rules, so it wasn’t ideal, but in the races, I just picked my way up and didn’t get any penalties, which was critical. It was a good end to the weekend with two podiums and it means I’m feeling quite confident going into Donington Park, because it’s one of my favourite tracks. Hopefully, I can get a win there and challenge for the Pro-Am title.”
